LEON FALK, JR., records

Collection

Identifier: GLMS-0061

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company built the LEON FALK, JR., as the WINTER HILL in 1945. The Skar-Ore Steamship Corp. of Cleveland, OH purchased the vessel from Ships, Inc. in 1960 and renamed it the FALK the following year. This company maintained ownership until the FALK's scrapping in 1985. The collection records daily operational information for the years 1961-1981 and includes ship safety committee minutes, damage report logs, loading logs, miscellaneous cargo logs, trip logs, and a lightbulb order book. The collection also includes a loading manual for the FALK and a 1964 Canadian publication concerning pilotage rules on the Great Lakes.

Dates

Creation: 1961-1981

Extent

.5 Cubic Feet (1 legal manuscript box)

Creator

Skar-Ore Steamship Corporation (Organization)

Scope and Contents

This collection records daily operational information for the LEON FALK, JR. (US 247576) for 1961-1981. Safety Committee minutes record the efforts to decrease crew injuries by improving working procedures for loading and unloading the vessel. Logs provide documentation on the types of accidents occurring on board with damage reports. Loading instructions reflect the prescribed tonnages of a cargo to be loaded through each deck hatch to balance the cargo in the hold. Individual trip records present an engineering diary of activities on the FALK for two decades. Cargoes, destinations, engine performance, bills paid and passenger data appear in descriptions for each of more than twenty voyages the FALK made during most shipping seasons.

Vessel History

The LEON FALK, JR. (US 247576) was built as the WINTER HILL at Chester, Pennsylvania in 1945 by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Hull 477 was launched on April 2, 1945 under a United States Maritime Administration contract. The original vessel was classed as a T2-SE-A1 tanker. The original dimensions were a length of 504', width of 68'2" and a depth of 39'2".

As the WINTER HILL, this vessel was owned from 1945-1959 by the United States Maritime Commission. In 1949, Ships, Inc. purchased the vessel and retained it until 1960. The Skar-Ore Steamship Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio became the third and final owner in 1960. The Hanna Mining Company managed this line and changed the name to LEON FALK, JR.

Leon Falk, Jr. was born September 23, 1901 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Falk served in the management of the Federal Metals Corporation and Falk & Company before becoming director of the National Steel Corporation. At this time in 1961 the WINTER HILL was renamed in Falk's honor by the other National Steel Corporation directors.

Significant rebuilding occurred for the FALK in the years 1960-1961. Conversion was made to a dry bulk carrier in Baltimore, Maryland at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company. A new midbody was built by Schlieker-Werft at Hamburg, Germany. The new dimensions were 710'6" for length, 75'1' for width and 39'8" for depth.

Significant accidents in the FALK's career occurred on July 25, 1976 and January 16, 1980. In 1976 the FALK struck a lock wall in the St. Lawrence Seaway and suffered $80,000 in damage. A fire started by a welding torch in 1980 led to internal damage.

The FALK's forty year sailing career ended in September 1985 when the vessel arrived in Gijon, Spain for scrapping by Desguaces Heme.

Conditions Governing Access

No known acccess restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.